The Yasaka Pagoda at the end of a stone-paved street lined with wooden houses and lanterns, at dawn
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Kyoto in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 8.7 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

With two days, you can stop rushing. The first is for the west and north: bamboo, the Golden Pavilion and Gion after dark. The second splits between the seat of power and the thousands of torii at Fushimi Inari. It is a moderate pace, with time to sit down for lunch and to get lost in a side street.

Day 1Gold, bamboo and Gion by night

Start in Arashiyama on the Arashiyama highlights route: Togetsukyō Bridge, Tenryū-ji and the Sagano bamboo grove, ideally first thing. Have yudōfu at Okutan, beside Nanzen-ji, then spend the afternoon in the northwest: two famous Kyoto temples, reached by bus or the Randen tram. When the sun drops, head back east for the spirits route, from Tatsumi Daimyōjin and Yasaka Shrine to Kiyomizu-dera, and finish with nishin soba at Matsuba.

  1. Morning

    Arashiyama highlights: a bridge for the moon, bamboo and poets

    Mixed · 1.9 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Togetsukyō BridgeA bridge named after a moon that seemed to cross it, which thirteen-year-olds walk over without looking back.
    2. Tenryū-ji TempleThe great Zen temple a shogun founded to calm the spirit of the emperor he had betrayed.
    3. Nonomiya ShrineThe sacred grove where imperial princesses purified themselves before serving at Ise, setting of a chapter of “Genji”.
    4. Sagano Bamboo GroveA green corridor of towering stalks whose sound is protected as one of Japan’s soundscapes.
    5. Jōjakkō-ji TempleA temple on the slopes of Mount Ogura, where tradition says a poet gathered Japan’s hundred most famous poems.
    6. Rakushisha, the Hut of the Fallen PersimmonsThe thatched hut of a disciple of Bashō, named after a persimmon crop sold and lost in a single night.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Yudōfu (simmered tofu) at Okutan Nanzen-ji. Nanzen-ji Fukuchi-chō 86-30, Sakyō, Kioto

  3. Afternoon

    Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion

    A three-storey pavilion covered in gold leaf and reflected in a pond. It was the villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and was rebuilt in 1955 after a fire. The visit is short and fits on the way to Ryōan-ji.

    Directions

    Ryōan-ji and its rock garden

    Fifteen rocks on raked gravel: Japan's most famous Zen garden. You view it sitting on the veranda, unhurried, and it is said you can never see all fifteen at once. It is about a twenty-minute walk from Kinkaku-ji.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Kyoto of the spirits: tanuki, wells to hell and a stone that cuts ties

    Mysteries & legends · 2.2 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Tatsumi Daimyōjin and the Shirakawa CanalA tiny shrine where geiko come to pray and which, tradition says, was built to calm a mischievous tanuki.
    2. Yasaka ShrineThe shrine of the plague god and the birthplace of the Gion Matsuri, the great festival to ward off epidemics.
    3. Yasui Konpira-gū ShrineA paper-covered rock you crawl through to cut bad ties, under the protection of a vengeful emperor.
    4. Rokudō Chinnō-ji TempleThe crossroads between this world and the next, where a court official went down every night to work for the king of hell.
    5. Sannenzaka SlopeA stone stairway between wooden houses where, superstition says, anyone who falls will die within three years.
    6. Kiyomizu-dera TempleA temple hanging over the void, from whose stage hundreds of people jumped in the Edo period, trusting in Kannon.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Nishin soba at Sōhonke Nishin Soba Matsuba. Shijō-dōri Yamatoōji nishi-iru, Kawabata-chō 192, Higashiyama, Kioto

Day 2Power and a thousand torii

Spend the morning on the history route: Nijō Castle, the Hamaguri-gomon with its bullet marks, Honnō-ji and Sanjō Bridge, finishing at Nishiki Market. It is worth a snack there, but lunch is the saba-zushi at Izuu, in Gion. In the afternoon, take the train to Fushimi Inari and climb between the torii as far as you feel like going. Before heading back, there is a very quiet temple one train stop away.

  1. Morning

    Shoguns, emperors and samurai: a thousand years of power in Kyoto

    History · 4.6 km · 2 h 30 min

    1. Nijō CastleThe castle where the first Tokugawa shogun settled and where the last one announced the end of his dynasty.
    2. Hamaguri-gomon GateA gate that opened like a clam in a fire, and which took gunfire in a battle in 1864.
    3. Kyoto Imperial Palace: Kenreimon GateThe most solemn gate of the palace where emperors lived for over five centuries, used only by them and by heads of state.
    4. Honnō-ji TempleThe temple whose name stands for Japan’s most famous betrayal, home to Oda Nobunaga’s memorial tomb.
    5. Sanjō Ōhashi BridgeThe end of the Tōkaidō, the road linking Kyoto and Edo, over a river where samurai heads were once put on display.
    6. Nishiki Market and Nishiki Tenmangū“Kyoto’s kitchen”: a market lane saved by a painter, ending at a shrine whose torii is wedged into the buildings.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Saba-zushi (mackerel sushi) at Izuu. Yasaka-shinchi Kiyomoto-chō 367, Higashiyama, Kioto

  3. Afternoon

    Fushimi Inari Shrine

    The shrine of the rice god, with thousands of vermilion torii climbing the mountain. The lower part gets crowded; the higher you go, the quieter it becomes. It is always open, and late afternoon helps you avoid the crowds.

    Directions

    Tōfuku-ji

    A large thirteenth-century Zen temple, famous for the Tsūtenkyō bridge over a valley of maples, spectacular in autumn. Its modern gardens charge admission. It is one train stop from Fushimi Inari, so it fits on the way back.

    Directions

The map

Kyoto in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

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Before you go

Tips for Kyoto in 2 days

  • Plan the first day in the west and north and the second in the centre and south: you will save a lot of travel time.
  • Many temples close in mid-afternoon; leave Kinkaku-ji and Ryōan-ji for after lunch and check each one's opening hours.
  • At Fushimi Inari you do not need to reach the summit: halfway up already gives the best photos and fewer people. Bring water.

Questions

Kyoto in 2 days: your questions

Is two days enough for Kyoto?

It is enough to see the highlights at a fairly relaxed pace: Arashiyama, Kinkaku-ji, the historic centre, Gion and Fushimi Inari. It is not everything, but you will leave with a good feel for the city and a reason to come back.

How far will I walk?

Our three routes add up to about 8.7 kilometres: 4.1 on the first day (Arashiyama and Gion) and 4.6 on the second (historic centre). Add the visits to Kinkaku-ji, Ryōan-ji and Fushimi Inari, which involve walking of their own.

How do I get between areas?

By train, subway and bus, which link up well. For Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari the train is fastest. In the centre and Gion you can walk. Avoid taxis at rush hour: traffic jams are common.

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